Noriaki Kakyoin (JJBA:DDR)
'Noriaki Kakyoin '(花京院 典明 Kakyōin Noriaki) is a core ally in ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Dust Revolution'','' was previously featured in [https://jojo.wikia.com/wiki/Stardust_Crusaders ''Stardust Crusaders]'' as a core ally and again in[[JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Ocean of Meteora| ''Ocean of Meteora]]'' as a side character. Prior to joining the original Stardust Crusaders, Kakyoin was an agent of Dio and a member of his Assassination Squad under Youki Yaoyorozu, and became its Captain for the brief period the squad was re-established in ''Diamond Dust Revolution. After his death in Stardust Crusaders, Youki resurrected and reincarnated him as a Yōkai to serve her. During the decade prior to DDR, he became extremely loyal to her and even helped to raise the then-ten-year-old girl Tsubaki, who would later become his wife. Kakyoin is one of the very first allies in Diamond Dust Revolution, not hesitating to join forces with Jotaro and Dio to destroy the Hydra Society and later on the Pillar Men. Kakyoin's Stand, Hierophant Green, eventually evolves into Hierophant Requiem out of his strong desire to be strong and to survive. Aside from that, he has also mastered the Ripple and Sendo. He is a high-ranking member of the Speedwagon Foundation in Ocean of Meteora and the father of Norisuke Zeppeli Kakyoin. Appearance He barely looks any older than during Stardust Crusaders, and yet more matured. Still retaining his characteristic large, twisting bang hanging in front of his face, his hair is a lot longer which he keeps tied up. He retains the two thin scars that are crossing both of his eyes, and covers them up with angular, yellow-tinted glasses. Kakyoin predominantly wears a green trench coat with a black turtleneck sweater underneath, and matching pants with green leather shoes that have cherries embellished onto them. Due to his nature as a Yōkai, Kakyoin exhibits a charm and thrall similar to that of Dio and takes full advantage of that during his missions. His handsome looks have earned him a lot of adoration; even now he has schoolgirls and women of all ages swooning over him. Additionally, he will never age. Personality In[[JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Dust Revolution| Diamond Dust Revolution]] Even after becoming a Yōkai, Kakyoin retains his righteous, but blunt personality and his fierce loyalty to his companions. He is a polite individual, but will ruthlessly insult and belittle his enemies in battle. Prior to joining the original Stardust Crusaders, Youki was Kakyoin's only real friend. During the decade after Egypt, Kakyoin couldn't stand to see Youki continuously being abused by Dio and even offered to kill him numerous times, which Youki categorically refused. The grudge he has against Dio never went away, though it lessened considerably after he learned of Dio's past and the cruelty he suffered at the hands of Dario Brando. Kakyoin cannot suppress his urge to kill under righteous anger, especially when he witnesses evil done against women and children. As such, he sympathizes greatly with Yone's cause, even though he had prematurely judged her as being evil beyond redemption at first. He is also needlessly cruel in his killings, for example when he orders Hierophant Green to rip apart the limbs of Giorno's mother and step-father before killing them. Kakyoin takes his training very seriously, continuously pushing himself to new heights. He is ashamed at his death in Egypt and the suffering it must have brought to his family, but the biggest shame, in his eyes, is the fact that he wasn't much of a help against Dio. He vows to never die again, and to leave his old, weak self behind (which eventually leads to Hierophant Reqiuem). His relationship with Jotaro is naturally strained because of Kakyoin technically being on Dio's side through Youki, but he gets along with most of the group, particularly Yone, Adonis, Jouto, Tsubaki and Giorno. In ''Ocean of Meteora'' Kakyoin has mellowed out considerably and is now the father of Norisuke. However, he hasn't lost his edge. He instructs his son in the Ripple from a young age, paranoid that an evil like the Pillar Men could eventually rise again. He surprise-attacks Jouen whenever he comes to visit and scolds him when he inevitably slacks on his training and praises Jouto for still honing his skills in a time of peace. After he learns that Pucci managed to steal Jotaro's Stand and memories, Kakyoin vows to avenge his best friend and to kill Pucci, additionally because he considers that venting an old grudge against Dio. He is one of the first who calls for storming the prison and killing every single enemy Stand user. History Childhood Kakyoin reveals that he was born to Norinobu Kakyoin and his wife Anko after the group encounters Kakyoin's grandfather Norihito, the Grand Priest of the Kakyoin Shrine in Kyoto. Norinobu Kakyoin had fled Kyoto and moved to Tokyo when Kakyoin was only a baby; the reason for that was because Kakyoin was thought to be possessed by an evil spirit, which in reality was just his Stand. = Pre-Stardust Crusaders Kakyoin became an agent of Dio against his will (through a flesh-bud) and was made part of the Assassination Squad. He became close friends with Youki Yaoyorozu despite being brainwashed and enjoyed her company. He took part in many missions that involved eliminating the enemies of Dio. Pre-Diamond Dust Revolution Youki resurrected Kakyoin later on along with Enya Geil and Vanilla Ice. After learning that she had also resurrected Dio, Kakyoin temporarily fled the Brando Household, but quickly realized that he couldn't really fit anywhere now, being a Yōkai. Additionally, he learned that both of his parents had died in the meanwhile. He even searched for Jotaro to no avail. He returned and attached himself to Youki, developing a close friendship with her. When Tsubaki and Giorno later came into the fold, Kakyoin had finally found solace in his lonely existence and attached himself to them, and especially Jouto later on. Kakyoin's grudge against Dio only intensified after witnessing the abuse he put Youki through, and came dangerously close to just killing him numerous times, but Youki stopped him time and time again. After learning about Dio's past and the abuse he had suffered under his father, Kakyoin could relate to Dio somewhat, but Kakyoin would call Dio a coward for not protecting his mother and killing Dario right then and there. Diamond Dust Revolution WIP Ocean of Meteora Powers & Abilities Stand Main Article: Hierophant Requiem Kakyoin wields Hierophant Green, his long-range humanoid Stand whose true form is strings that Kakyoin uses in conjunction with Hamon energy to strengthen them. His signature ability, ''Emerald Splash, ''is also strengthened by this. Hierophant Green later evolves into Hierophant Reqiuem. Mastery Kakyoin is, due to a lifetime of possessing Hierophant Green, quite proficient at using it. Although it is mostly seen as a humanoid, Kakyoin states that its true form is that of a bunch of strings; as such one of his key tactics is to secretly unravel Hierophant Green's tentacles while keeping the main body as a distraction. Thanks to that, Kakyoin can infiltrate bodies, suddenly avoid attacks by unraveling his Stand, use the strings as ropes, and even perform piercing attacks. Yōkai Powers * '''Sensory: '''Kakyoin is able to sense spiritual energy within a small radius. This enables him to sense other Stand users, but unlike Jouto he cannot differentiate between their attributes and power levels. * '''Enhanced durability: '''Kakyoin is resistant against the elements, ordinary attacks (gunshots, sword slashes etc.) and even Stand barrages, though not quite as much as Jouto, for example. * '''Immortality: '''Kakyoin has been granted infinite life upon reincarnation, but he is still mortal in the sense that he can be killed. Hamon Desiring to eliminate every trace of his weakness, Kakyoin trained in the Ripple and Sendo alongside Tsubaki and devised a variety of different techniques, including: TBA Trivia